If you have a dog.....

[dsqard]

I have two shelties and one cocker spaniel cross mutt. I would never trust any of them with the chickens. One of my pullets got into their fenced area and they killed her. I don't blame the dogs for it but I wouldn't let them run free. It might be a different story if they had grown up with them but I have had them for going on ten years and only got the chickens this year. One of my shelties is very territorial. He barks at the horses because they are in "his" yard. When we lived in Florida and had Navy pilots in training flying over our house a lot, he would spend all day chasing the planes because they were in his airspace!

He has always been my psycho dog but I will miss him the most when he is gone.

 

[FlashPointFarm]

I have Aussies and they are

the bestest!!!

 

[sgray136]

We have a seventeen year old Jack Russel terrier that has taught every young dog we have adopted to chase and kill anything that runs. We had to give up a great Rotty who was great except for what he learned from the Jack. We will be getting a Great Pyrenees puppy this spring but plan to let the Jack go to the great fire hydrant in the sky before then. Some choices in life are hard and some are easy this one will be both.

 

[Rjaym73]

Lab/bird dog cross, super sweet and she lets the chickens sit on her, and eat out of her food bowl. We feed our dog table scraps, and I have even seen the chickens steal her table scraps and she just lets them, kinda funny watching a chicken run across the yard with a chicken bone in their beak! The only time she has ever snapped at one is when one of my more aggressive roos tried to attack her, even then she didin't hurt him, she just pulled out a tail feather. On the other hand any coon or possum that she sees is quickly disposed of!

 

[chrisc2865]

I have a collie/shepard mix and a Jack Russell. Both are good around the chickens. Both "had the talk" when I brought the chickens home. I think any dog will be okay with proper training. ONce they realize that they are part of "the herd" that they are responsible for. Just like the cats. They don't bother any of our cats, but let a stray one wonder into the yard and it is on!

 

[Crickett B]

No no no no no no no...AND NO!
Kadie the turkey and chicken murderer

She plots to kill them as well. Seems she "short chains" herself, waits for a stupid bird to come close enough, and it is all over in a flash
Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog

Yes, but no.
He would not hurt a fly, but after what Kadie did, not taking a chance. Birds can pretty much perch on his head and drink from his bowl.
Gator
Golden Retriever

Neither were raised with birds.

 

[mamaella]

We have two German Shepherd mixes and have learned the hard way that they are NOT good around the hens. First time around, we had the dogs and they are fenced out of the garden area so we bought some pullets and the dogs (one in particular who may be a wolf hybrid) immediately showed interest and followed them along the fence. I corrected the dogs and they went away, but continued watching. Then, bird by bird, the chickens disappear completely. I am thinking I have an aerial predator and start locking up the birds day and night in a run with a wire ceiling. Then, the dog digs/pulls the door open and kills them all. I did not do the tie a chicken around the dogs neck thing, but buried my hens and moved on. After some reading, I decided to try again. This time I incubated eggs in my living room. Every time the dog showed any interest whatsoever, I corrected her. When the wee chicks hatched, she got more scolding for looking at them, and then they grew up in the house, moved out to the back porch, and by the time they were put out in the coop in the garden, I think the dog had the idea. She has not eaten any since then and doesn't follow them along the fence when they are out and about. I would still never ever let the chickens and dogs get together.

 

[dinahmoe]

Quote:
I LOVE THOSE EYES!!

 

[silky ma]

My sweet boy Takoda is ..I think almost 3 yrs and took to my silkies warning calls as his call to duty. I do have to watch the occasional I get a treat to eat, but for a mnevada rescue he is just a dream! Unfortunately we just found out he has rheumatoid arthritis in both hips! So if we cannot make him happy and comfortable we will have to put him down.


C:\\Documents and Settings\\HP_Administrator\\My Documents\\My Pictures\\Thursday, October 14, 2010\\CIMG7209.JPG

 

[brandywine]

Four English shepherds and one German shepherd.

The ES are absolutely crucial to having free-range poultry. I could not do it without them. They patrol day and night, chase off hawks (also crows, balloonists, low-flying aircraft) and kill possums and raccoons. I've had absolutely minimal predator loss -- one guinea to an owl, two turkeys that snuck off to nest to a raccoon that the dogs got the next night. And I free-range a lot of birds.

This is not an accident -- it is their genetics and careful training. They've been bred for centuries for small farmstead living, and I was systematic about introducing them to poultry so that they understand the concept of "ours" and protect the birds.

When I had a stranger-mean rooster, my youngest grump was charged with security detail, and accompanied visitors (especially kids) to keep Henery in line. She never harmed a feather on him, just made him think he was about to die.

None of the ES were raised with poultry. The three who were with us when we bought the farm and subsequently got our first chicks were eight, five, and just under one year old. Our youngest came to us at ten months as a foster for National English Shepherd Rescue; he'd been raised in a kennel from the age of four weeks, as criminal evidence in a massive cruelty case, and had no knowledge of the world. He's now just as diligent as the others. I've also had seven other English shepherd fosters in the two years we've been here, and all have been trainable to run free-range with the birds. The last one required the most serious corrections, but even she got it, and is now on another farm with poultry.

My German shepherd is not protective of the birds, but her prey drive is so laser-focused on balls and sticks and retrieving that it's as if the birds don't exist. My dumb guineas used to fly into the kennel run where we'd leave her when we went out, and then run around screaming inside for hours, and she didn't even notice they were there. This is not going to be typical mileage for any dog, much less a working-bred GSD. She's "special."